Great news ee. I am so glad that you are sticking with it, and joining us in Latin too. Go for it, you did it before and it is like riding a bike, you will be able to pick it up again with no problems.

Logged

Everyone tries to rush up through the syllabus levles and think once they are at the top they have arrived. What they don't realize is that by doing this it is like skimming through a book, you may get the gist but you will never understand the story.

Great news ee. I am so glad that you are sticking with it, and joining us in Latin too. Go for it, you did it before and it is like riding a bike, you will be able to pick it up again with no problems.

I'm going up and down. Hey, its dance what else is new! :;

What I have done is gone back to my dance motivation - and that is moving musically with a man. Stop. The rest is just padding....

Within that I am trying to identify what it is I need from dance. I know that I love to follow and now I know that I love to move to the max and express to the max. If I stay focussed on these then the technique and other aspects of dancing that are required to achieve these will, I beleive,fall into place.

Its working thus far. I'm still taking weekly lessons and I'm enjoying them more than ever....

Wow. This is a heavy topic that touches on so many other topics. I stopped pro-am a few years ago when I realized that competition just wasn't for me. It had nothing to do with the expense, which can be considerable, or with feeling that the pro was uncaring or exploitative, although that happens to some people. For me,taking lessons is about loving dancing, not about the need to compare myself to anyone else. I really, really am not competitive in that sense. I don't enjoy it, so pro-am dance competition doesn't fit my world view. It might some day, just not now.

OTOH, I see why some people love it so much. It's exhilarating and exciting. It gives you clear goals and a more-or-less clear way of measuring progress. You get to travel. You get exposed to judges and coaches from all over the country or even the world. You're exposed to and/ embraced by a community. I also see why some people, who might want to go am/am, see it as a necessary choice, while they're searching for a partner. It's just not for me, right now.

I can only imagine what a difficult decision it must be for anyone who has enjoyed pro-am competition for a length of time. What a big transition.

I told my pro that I really want him to stretch me to my limits - and hes really doing it. I think he's enjoying it too since he does not have many (any?) partners that do championship standard full out. I'm hoping it reall is true that if you do what you love the rest will fall into place.

I try to remember that what got me into dancing was the ability to express myself to music and have that feeling of sound in motion. All the rest has been an extra but was never an expectation and I am sure many feel that way.

Logged

Everyone tries to rush up through the syllabus levles and think once they are at the top they have arrived. What they don't realize is that by doing this it is like skimming through a book, you may get the gist but you will never understand the story.

Well all I know about Pro/AM is that it is growing.....due to people not being able to find a partner and still wanting to dance. I dont know the best way to make it equitable but if you are a lone student and cant share the costs for the Pro, I dont think I would do it.

Logged

Dance is a delicate balance between perfection and beauty. ~Author UnknownDance Forum

Well all I know about Pro/AM is that it is growing.....due to people not being able to find a partner and still wanting to dance. I dont know the best way to make it equitable but if you are a lone student and cant share the costs for the Pro, I dont think I would do it.